Spring rebellion: Activists stripped to their underwear and marched through the city on Saturday.Credit:Paul Jeffers

Applying paint and sunscreen as they stripped to their undies – but no further – the activists then chanted and waved flags as they marched along city streets, down Bourke Street Mall and through city arcades.

Slogans painted on bare chests and breasts included "compost the rich", "emergency: act now" and "we are overexposed".

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Police were on standby after a week of protests and more than 100 arrests.Credit:Paul Jeffers

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It was the sixth day of protests in Melbourne as part of a global call for governments to declare a climate emergency and act on climate change.

Extinction Rebellion spokesman James Norman said the group was pleased with the week's headline-grabbing antics.

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"Today's action was intended as a celebratory action where Extinction Rebellion people were willing to get naked to show our vulnerability to climate action, as a metaphor," Mr Norman said.

"We're shifting the narrative about the urgency of climate change and for the first time, conveying that into the lounge rooms of Australia. It feels like this week we have become a household name, and this is just the beginning."

During the protests, frustrated Melburnians appeared to be mixed in their support for the protesters. However, an Age reader's poll revealed 85 per cent supported the Extinction Rebellion protests.

Victoria Police North West Commander Tim Hansen said on Wednesday that climate protesters' refusal to share their plans with authorities had forced police to suspend proactive campaigns around crime prevention.

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"So whilst we're satisfied we have a minimum service delivery model out there that can match calls for assistance, what we have had to stop are those proactive police operations – those operations around robberies and carjackings, those operations around illicit drug consumption," Mr Hansen said.

"They've all had to be put on hold while we've been dragged into the CBD because of the unknown."